


Math Tutor-Reddie

by LovesickLovesick



Category: IT, IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: IT - Freeform, M/M, MathtutorAU, Reddie, Reddiefanfic, benverly - Freeform, it Stephen king - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:09:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 12,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25062133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovesickLovesick/pseuds/LovesickLovesick
Summary: Richie is Eddie's math tutor.  They both have feelings for each other but are too afraid to tell each other.  Richie confides in Beverly and the two decide to fake date to protect Richie from any rumors.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Benverly, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Reddie - Relationship
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter One

The walls of the empty classroom seemed to be closing in on Eddie Kaspbrak as he waited, tapping his nails on the wooden desk. A math tutor. He was waiting for his new math tutor, whoever that may be.

His mother had forced him to sign up for the peer tutoring program when she noticed that his grade in math had dropped to a C. He was surprised that she'd even let him. Why, Eddie could have an asthma attack! Or perhaps accidentally staple his own hand, get tetanus, and die!

Whiteboard, desks, pencils, the stupid posters all around the room. All of it made him feel so annoyed he could scream. This was quite possibly his least favorite place in the world. It wasn't the room that irritated him, per se, but the subject that was taught in that room had never been something he could quite grasp. 

But it was barely ever a place itself that bothered people, was it? It was what went on there. Eddie felt the same way about Derry. All his life, he'd lived in the same small town.

Predictably, Eddie hadn't made many friends. The huge first aid kit he carried with him to every class could've been what scared people away. Or maybe the array of pills he took with every lunch was what did it.

Or maybe it was his mother. His crazy mother who sheltered him and treated him like a little kid at fourteen years old.

Eddie felt a sort of resentment toward Sonia, although he would never admit it. On one hand, he believed her when she said she was only trying to keep him safe. On the other hand, he thought of her as a liar, a lunatic who had manipulated him all his life. 

Eddie had a sneaking suspicion that maybe, just maybe he wasn't as fragile and sickly as his mom led him to believe.

He wasn't completely alone though. He had The Losers Club. That's what he and his best friends had decided to call their group. The Losers always had his back; they were the people who made everything feel alright even when it felt like his world had been turned upside-down.

He looked across the room at the teacher's desk. The wooden platform was covered in little figurines. A ballerina, three deer, a woman with long blonde hair who wore a flowing dress, and a little turtle with swirling, eye-bleeding colors all resided there.

Suddenly, he heard the door open. His heart jumped up into his throat. Now he would have to talk to a real-life person, and that was not something anybody wanted. He turned toward the door, and was immediately shocked with what he saw.

A skinny kid with glasses who wore a tacky Hawaiian shirt spun around and threw up finger guns at him. Richie Tozier. Immediately, Eddie felt simultaneously relieved and confused. 

Richie was a part of The Losers Club. Eddie had known him for years and he never once thought that Richie was the type to be a math tutor. How could that even work? Richie never took anything seriously and couldn't shut up to save his life.

As soon as Richie saw Eddie, he wore the same baffled expression.

"Eddie?" he blurted out.

"Richie?"

A smile crept onto the taller boy's face. 

"Eddie Spaghetti can't do math?" he laughed.

"Shut up, Richie."


	2. Chapter Two

The tutoring session went okay, when Richie wasn't talking, of course. How the guy apparently maintained straight A's, Eddie didn't have the slightest clue. He'd learned that Richie, like Eddie, had been forced into the program by his parents. 

It was mostly an effort to get him out of the house. When Richie didn't have anything to do, he talked their ears off. During the lesson, Eddie had snidely asked him if he did anything but talk, to which Richie had answered "Yeah, I spend the rest of my time with your mother."

Now though, math tutoring was the last thing on his mind. The brown haired boy stood among the overgrown grass, leaning up against weather-beaten wood. He felt scared to breathe. 

"Come out, half pint," the grating voice called, "Come out and maybe I won't kill you!"

Eddie quickly reached into his fanny pack and took a puff of his inhaler. The footsteps grew louder as Henry Bowers, the town nutcase, rounded the corner of the old house on Neibolt street. Eddie knew enough to stay wary of Bowers. 

He'd seen how kids looked after Henry was done with them, and maybe he was a wuss for being a teenager and hiding from a bully, but he wasn't going to take his chances. Bowers wasn't a normal bully, and that was easy to see. He was plain sick in the head! So fine, Eddie thought, I'm a wuss.

He held his breath. The menacing footsteps drew near. Soon, Henry was in Eddie's line of vision. He prayed silently that he wouldn't be seen. However, he knew that hope was, well, rather hopeless.

A rush of pure fear hit him and soon Eddie's feet were racing across the field before he could even process what he was doing. Sharp blades of grass brushed his legs as he made a beeline towards the fence.

I'm screwed. I'm screwed. I'm screwed.

"I'll get you, bastard!" the voice called.

Tell them I want closed casket.

He reached the street. His breath was shortening; his throat started to pinch, feeling like a bent up plastic straw.

Please don't have an asthma attack.

Bowers was gaining on him, he knew it. The sound of his dumbass cowboy boots hitting the ground grew louder and faster. The black pavement seemed to be moving, twisting and turning in all different ways. Eddie didn't know if this was due to asthma or fear.

Reaching the end of the street, Eddie made a sharp right and saw what was almost certainly his saving grace that day. The rest of The Losers sat around a tree, talking about God knows what.

Six heads turned towards the scrawny brunette and the angsty mullet kid. Each of them immediately looked alarmed.

"Get the hell out of here!" yelled Bowers, but he didn't go any further than that. Eddie figured that Henry had decided that a terrified asthmatic wearing a fanny pack and his astounded friends weren't worth his time at the moment. 

Eddie took a long puff of his inhaler and sat down on the grass.

"God, Eds. What the hell happened? Did you not get our text? We were all gonna meet up here but you didn't reply so-" Richie inquired in a worried tone.

"Don't call me that. And yeah I guess I missed it."

Mike Hanlon, a boy with deep brown eyes and a serious demeanor, stood up.

"We should probably go," he suggested, "You guys know Bowers'll eat us alive,"

Beverly Marsh nodded her head in agreement, her curly red hair bouncing around her face. "Yeah, I really don't feel like messing around with any crazies today."

One by one, each of the friends rose. Even Richie, who would've loved to give Bowers a piece of his mind knew that they'd be better off somewhere else.

"We should go get ice cream," he said.

"Y-Yeah let's g-go get ice c-c-cream," said William Denbrough, more commonly known as Stuttering Bill.


	3. Chapter Three

"So," began Beverly Marsh, "What'd you do to piss off Bowers?"

"Existed, I guess," he said with a chuckle.

"D-Don't listen t-t-to Henry," Bill reassured him, "He's g-gonna end up w-w-working at a g-gas station,"

Eddie smiled. 

"Yeah," Richie added, "They'll keep him in the back, like an extra exhibit. Charge you five dollars to see him,"

They all let out a small laugh. The sunset's warm colors poured through the window next to their booth. Eddie looked up from his ice cream at Richie. The light shining in his brown eyes made them look like pools of honey. It reflected off his glasses, creating a kaleidoscope of white, glowing shapes on the surface of the plastic.

Eddie felt his heart jump, but ignored it. 

Likewise, Richie noticed how Eddie's eyes looked like melted chocolate in the sun's rays. He smiled. 

Shit.

Richie was usually a very carefree person. He didn't get upset upset or nervous easily, but there was an exception. His secret was the exception. 

For a while, he'd known he was bi. And unbeknownst to Eddie, he'd liked him for months. It was something that ate him up inside. Every time he thought about it he felt sick, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. So, he tried his best to ignore it.

Honestly, he didn't know why the thought of telling anyone scared him so much. He had no idea if his parents would care or not, but he really didn't want anyone to think of him any different. Also, Derry wasn't the most accepting town.

"I swear someday Bowers is gonna end up in jail," Beverly said before taking a drink of her strawberry milkshake.

"Yeah," Ben agreed, "Or Juniper Hill."

It was an offhand comment, sort of meant to be a joke, but it had truth to it. Bowers seemed to take after his dad, Town Nutcase Sr. Henry really was in a sad situation. His father alienated him. Maybe if he'd been brought up better, things would've been different. It was difficult for any of the neighborhood kids to have much sympathy for him, nonetheless. Who could blame them? He was unpredictable, Derry's boogeyman.

"Enough about Bowers," said Stan, "Who even cares?"

There seemed to be a silent agreement to talk about something else, something less morbid.

"S-So Stan did y-you s-see any new b-b-birds?"

Stan the Man's eyes lit up. Birds were kind of his thing.

"Yeah, actually!" he said with a smile, "The other day I found a Dickcissel,"

Richie snorted, "A Dickcissel?"

"Shut up Richie. It's a bird."


	4. Chapter Four

Eddie heard the front door close behind him as he stepped onto the welcome mat. Immediately, he was greeted by his mother showering him with concern.

"Eddie!" she cried, "Where have you been?"

It was then that he remembered what he'd initially gone out to do. Sonia had sent him out to pick up his various prescriptions from Mr.Keene at around 6:30 pm.

On his way there, he'd been put off track by Henry Bowers, who chased him all the way to the house on Neibolt street. Strangely, he hadn't started hyperventilating. He'd just ran away.

Suddenly, a word popped into his mind. Psychosomatic. It was a word his gym teacher had brought up in a conversation with his mom when Eddie was younger. 

A couple years after that, when he finally convinced Sonia to let him have a phone (which had immediately been littered with parental locks) he'd looked it up.

Phsychosomatic  
(of a physical illness or other condition) caused or aggravated by a mental factor such as internal conflict or stress.

Around the fourth grade, his gym teacher had suggested to Eddie's mother that maybe his symptoms were psychosomatic. This had gotten a rise out of Mrs.K, who had proceeded to lecture the coach for what felt to Eddie like forever.

He'd never say it, but Eddie had spent the rest of that day wondering if his coach was right. The next day, he'd dismissed it.

As he got older though, every once in a while he'd wonder if he was actually sick or not. Then, it turned into more than every once in a while. Then, it turned into a silent disfavor towards his mother.

As she stood there in front of him, probably planning on taking him to the emergency room, his blood began to boil.

"Oh," he began, "I'm sorry. I got held up-"

She rushed toward him and started checking his face for any sort of injury.

"Eddie-Bear! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry," he said, pulling away.

"We might need to take you to the doctor! Is everything okay?"

"Mom, I'm fine."

"You know you're delicate, Eddie! I just don't want you to get hurt!"

"Hurt by what?" he said loudly enough to shock both Sonia and himself, "What am I so sick with, mom? Just stop trying to pretend I'm sick!"

"Eddie," she said calmly, but with anger in her voice, "Go upstairs to your room, and we can talk when you're ready to be mature,"

He bit his tongue, not wanting to dig his grave any deeper, and made his way up the steps.

What the hell am I gonna do now?

His house was the last place he wanted to be, and he was basically trapped there for the rest of the night. Probably the next day too, since his mother was insistent on him being ill.

He pulled out his phone and checked the time. 8:30. 

It was dark outside already. A black sky dotted with stars peeked through the white window frame.

He felt like he could scream, like he'd go crazy if he stayed in that house any longer, so he decided to text Richie.

E: Hey

Richie Tozier is typing

R: whats up

E: Nothing. Bored as hell tho.

R: same. im grounded lmaoo

E: I probably am too tbh ✌🏻😔

R: wait why 😂

E: Long story.

R: i have time

For a second, Eddie debated with himself about whether or not to tell him about it. 

E: Wellll, you know the First Aid kit and all the pills and stuff?

R: yea

E: I'm like 99% sure I don't actually need any of that. Tbh I think my mom has like,, Münchausen syndrome by proxy or something.

R: holy shit really?! that thing where you pretend your kid's sick? i mean, i kinda knew she was weird but still.

E: Yup. I'm not 100% sure but I think all my pills are gazebos.

R: lmaooo you mean placebos?

E: I guess. So yeah I'm basically trapped here with my crazy mom all weekend.

R: you dont have to be. wanna sneak out? we can always go to the Aladdin if you get over yourself 😂

Richie had snuck out to that old movie theatre with the others numerous times, and every time he'd invite Eddie aswell, but Eddie would always decline for fear of being caught.

E: Sure.

R: Wait really? Eds are you okay?

E: Let's go.


	5. Chapter Five

Click  
Click  
Click

Eddie turned toward the window next to his bed. 

Click

He looked down through the spotless glass. Richie Tozier stood on the sidewalk, throwing pebbles at Eddie's window. 

Trying to be as quiet as possible, Eddie opened the window and lifted up the screen. The cold fall air froze his freckle-dotted face.

"Hey professor, how are you gonna get down?" Richie yelled up to him.

"Shhhh!" Eddie whisper-yelled, pressing a finger to his lips, "My mom's downstairs. Just a second."

He quickly gathered up a few pillows that were scattered across the floor and shoved them under his blankets, trying his best to make it look like it could possibly be a person sleeping. Then, he walked over to his closet and put into action a plan that he never thought would be a reality. It had always been a hypothetical "If I ever snuck out this is how I would do it."

He opened the old wooden doors and inside, there were stockpiles of one time use fire safety ladders. His mom had always kept a bunch of them just in case their house was ever set ablaze. 

Thanks to Sonia reminding him time and time again how to use them, he knew exactly what to do.

Quickly, he grabbed a ladder and made his way over to the window. Richie looked at him in confusion as he placed the gray attachment hooks over the windowsill.

Eddie pulled the release strap and the ladder unfurled. He cringed at the noise it made. If his mother heard him now, he'd be dead.

"What the hell, Eds? Is that a ladder?" Richie asked, his eyes lighting up the way they always did when mischief was afoot.

Eddie didn't answer; he was too focused on being as silent as possible. The ladder swayed as he climbed down, which freaked him out a lot more than he'd like to admit.

He started to think of a million things he could tell his mother if she caught them. Would she believe it if Eddie said he smelled smoke and thought there was a fire?

This was a bad idea. 

Before he knew it, he'd reached the base of the ladder. Cool grass brushed his ankles as he looked out into the street. He was really doing this. All his life he'd tried so hard to obey his mother and make her proud. He definitely could be doing worse, but this felt huge.

"Okay," he began, "I've gotta get this ladder down now."

Eddie grabbed the rails of the ladder and started moving it to try and get it down. He hadn't really thought this part through. Eventually, it evolved into him furiously shaking the rails and basically praying that it would fall.

After a few painful minutes, the ladder plunged downward and hit the ground with a crash. A loud crash.

Eddie quickly grabbed the arm of Richie, who was laughing so hard tears were starting to roll down his cheeks, and ran, dragging the ladder behind him.

Richie felt a warm blush creep onto his face as they raced through the grass. Eddie figured that they could get out of view fast enough to not be caught by his mother.

Surprisingly, Eddie was faster than Richie, practically dragging him along. They ran as far away as they could until eventually, they stood at the end of the street.

"What now?" Eddie wondered aloud, panting.

"Well I guess we should go, dipshit," Richie said with a smile.

He looked down at his tattered shoes and felt his ears turning red as he realized that Eddie was still holding his arm.

Eddie noticed it too.

"So," he began, releasing Richie's arm, "We're going to go see movies this late?"

"Hell yeah! It's awesome, trust me. I've done it like, a million times with Bev and Stan. The Aladdin's open pretty much twenty four seven and it'll probably be empty too."

Eddie rolled the ladder back up until he could hold it in his hands, although it was heavy.

"What should I do with this?"

"Ditch it?" Richie suggested.

"I guess so."

Not exactly using his brain, he left the ladder at the end of the sidewalk. It was a one time use thing anyway.

Eddie beamed as the two boys made their way down the concrete walk. For some reason, he couldn't seem to stop smiling. In that moment, he felt like he could do anything.


	6. Chapter Six

"Behold!" Richie yelled dramatically as he stood in front of the theater.

Eddie shivered in the cool nighttime breeze. A fairly small movie theater stood in front of them, coated in chipped blue paint. He'd been there before, but he'd never seen it at night.

Glowing letters were placed vertically along the front of the building to spell out "ALADDIN."  
Well, mostly glowing. The L had burned out completely and the I was on death's door, flickering like a strobe light, so it was more like "AADDN."

"It's nice," Eddie said with a giggle, "What movie do you wanna see?"

When Richie heard him laugh, he felt as if his heart might explode.

"What movie do you wanna see, Eddie Spaghetti?"

"Don't call me that, and I don't really know. I was kinda hoping you had an idea," he said, grinning.

"Well, they've got this horror movie on right now called The Lost and it seems like it's probably shit but-"

"Let's see that!"

"Alright," Richie laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

Eddie had never been allowed to watch horror movies. Sonia always said they'd give him nightmares, but since he'd already snuck out of his house using a fire escape ladder, he decided to ride this rebellion train while it lasted.

The two walked through the door. A tired looking employee leaned on the concession stand, elbows resting on the white countertop. Her hair was dyed a deep blue and she seemed to regret taking the late shift.

Eddie pulled a crumpled wad of one dollar bills out of his fanny pack. Richie's money was already in hand.

They ambled up to the counter.

"Two for The Lost please," said Richie.

Both boys paid their way, then walked down the hallway to the room where the movie was showing. 

Richie threw open the door. Besides them, the theater was empty.

"Yes!" Richie exclaimed, "It's empty!"

"Why's that good?" Eddie asked with a laugh as they made their way to a couple of seats in the very middle.

"I mean, we can talk as much as we want and we can like, walk around."

"Why would we wanna walk around in a movie theater?"

"I'm not saying we want to it's just good to have the option to if that makes sense."

"It doesn't, weirdo," Eddie joked as he plopped down into the seat, "It's still previews, do you want me to go get any food?"

"Oh wow you're really an amateur," Richie remarked. He reached into his pockets and began taking out all different types of candy.

"Isn't that not allowed?"

"It's not," he replied, still emptying his pockets.   
Once he was done, he sat down. A mountain of candy divided the two as the movie started. It began with a an ill-lit scene, so much so that Richie had to lean in dechipher what was going on. Somebody shuffled through an abandoned house. Suspenseful music played in the background. It seemed really cheesy.

Suddenly, a chilling face flickered across the screen and both boys jumped back in fear. Eddie let out a high-pitched scream, which sent Richie into a fit of laughter.

"What?" Eddie said, a little embarrassed, "It was a jumpscare."

Richie didn't answer. He buried his face in his hands as he continued to crack up. Eddie grabbed a Fun-Sized chocolate bar from the candy mountain.

"Whatever dude, you flinched," He said with a smile.


	7. Chapter Seven

Colors faded from the huge screen as the movie's final scene came to a close. Richie turned his head lazily towards the seat beside him. The candy mountain was gone and Eddie was asleep. He'd drifted off near the end of the movie, but Richie had decided not to wake him.

Richie reached over and tapped him on the shoulder as the credits began to roll. Lights from the screen danced across the smaller boy's face. 

"Hey Eds,"

He stirred, then his eyes opened. For a second, they widened in a startled expression, as if he didn't remember where he was. 

"The movie's over," Richie informed him quietly. Eddie's face changed as he recalled what had happened. He looked proud of himself, and he was. 

You did it! You snuck out! Now you'll just have to find a way back in...

"My mom's gonna kill me," he said in an amused tone, rubbing his eyes.

"Damn," Richie laughed, "You do know how you're gonna get back inside, don't you?"

"Yeah, I have a key and my mom's a pretty deep sleeper."

Eddie pushed himself up from his chair and they both began gathering their trash to throw away. Once they were done, and Eddie had candy wrappers piled nearly to his chin, the two went into the hallway.

They dumped the wrappers in the trash, then quietly made their way to the exit. It wasn't an awkward silence. More so, it felt peaceful.

"So," Eddie asked as they walked through the parking lot, "How'd the movie end?"

"Remember that dude from the beginning?" said Richie, "He dies."

"What? Really? He was like, the only good character."

"For real, but that happens in most horror movies. All the best characters die."

Eddie nodded, not wanting to mention that he'd never actually seen a horror movie before this. Although, he figured that Richie already suspected so.

They rounded the corner onto a cracked sidewalk. Tufts of grass peeked through the fissures. The green blades had started to fade into a dead-looking shade of brown. It definitely felt like Autumn.

Fall had always been Richie's least favorite time of year. In pictures, it looked beautiful. People wore cozy sweaters and drank hot coffee that swirled with colors. Fluffy trees were painted vibrant shades of red and orange, like a flame rising from a match. 

In reality, Fall felt depressing. Dreary skies and cold weather, bare trees, it wasn't exactly cheery.

But now, strolling down the sidewalk with Eddie by his side, he thought that maybe Fall wasn't so bad. He remembered earlier that day, when Eddie had been walking to the ice cream shop with The Losers. The freckles on his cold-nipped, rosy cheeks looked like constellations against a pink sunset.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he shook his head and it went away.


	8. Chapter Eight

"I dare you to let someone here draw on your face," Mike said, smiling mischeviously, "And you have to wear it for the whole night."

"Who?" Stan asked.

"First one to raise their hand gets to do it."

Richie's hand immediately shot up into the air, narrowly beating Bill. Stan's eyes widened. He never chickened out on a dare, but he nearly told Mike to give him a truth instead. Mike broke into howling laughter as soon as he realized who would be using Stan as a canvas.

"Alrighty Stan The Man, get ready for a masterpeice," said Richie, "Anyone have a marker?" 

"Just a second," said Bev. She stood up and rushed down the hallway into her room. Her aunt wasn't home that night, so The Losers had all decided to sleepover at her house. Everyone loved Beverly's Aunt Ella. She was a sweet woman who always tried her best to make everyone happy and treated Bev like her own daughter.

In fact, Bev practically was her daughter. Beverly's parents had died in a car crash when she was a baby, and her aunt had raised her ever since then. Ella, a tall, skinny woman with hair that looked like Bev's but longer, had been greatly affected by the death of her sister. Although Beverly never really knew her parents, Aunt Ella made sure that her mother wasn't forgotten. Pictures of Beverly's mom stood on the counters and bookshelves all over the house.

Ella often told Beverly stories about her mother, so Bev had an understanding of who she was. Elfrida Marsh was described as funny, caring, and adventurous. Even though she had only heard about her from her aunt, Beverly wanted to grow up to be like her mom, and although she'd never say it because it felt stupid to her, she wanted desperately to make her proud.

"I got the marker! Now work your magic, Trashmouth."

Beverly handed Richie a permanent black marker. She almost thought she saw a genuine twinkle in his eyes, the kind that only existed in cartoons.

He brought the marker up to Stan's forehead and began dragging it along to create something. Stan's eyebrows knitted together in a worried expression, rightfully so.

It was soon evident that he was writing a word. One by one, huge letters appeared above Stan's furrowed brows.

H...O...E...B...A...G

Everyone began to roar with laughter, mostly because of how angry they knew Stan was about to be.

"What? What'd he do?"

Ben fished his phone from his pocket and showed Stan his reflection in the camera. The curly-haired boy nearly jumped back at the sight. He turned to Richie.

"Are you serious, Tozier?"

"Indeed I am, hoebag."

"Alright," said Ben, working through bouts of laughter, "Who's next?"

"Richie," Bev started, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I d-dare you to pick truth f-f-for once," Bill suggested.

"Hell no. C'mon, Beaverly. Give me a dare."

"Dare you to call your crush and ask her out."

Immediately, Richie felt his stomach do a flip. 

This has been such a fun night so far. Don't make me think about this.

"Hey Eddie, what's your mom's number?"

"No dude," Beverly said, smiling and rolling her aqua eyes, "For real."

"I don't like anyone though."

"Liar."

At that point, it feel like his organs were all performing an elaborate gymnastics routine. Did she know somehow?

Stop it. You're being paranoid.

"Nope," he replied, "I actually don't. For real."

"Fine, I believe you. Do you wanna take a truth or do a different dare?"

"Different dare."

"Okay," she said, "I dare you to eat a spoonful of mayo."

The group exploded into a cacophony of fake gagging noises.

"Challenge accepted," said Richie, "Where's the mayo?"

"In the kitchen. Come on," Beverly replied.

She pushed herself into a standing position and made her way into the kitchen, the rest of The Losers Club following close behind.

The refrigerator door creaked as Beverly yanked it open. It was mostly empty, besides condiments and a couple of gray grocery bags that nobody had bothered to empty yet. She reached in and pulled out a huge jar of mayonnaise.

The group walked to the kitchen table and Beverly placed the jar onto the wooden platform. 

"Can someone go get a spoon?" she asked, turning the lid, "They're in the drawer next to the oven."

There was an audible "pop!" as the jar opened. Eddie came rushing in with a plastic spoon. He handed it to Richie before turning around so he wouldn't have to see what was about to happen.


	9. Chapter Nine

When the sun goes down, peoples' filters start to fall away. They'll say more. At night, you learn things about your friends that you never would've known. 

Richie Tozier barely had a filter as it was but, like filters did for many people, his seemed to dissipate at night. He never would've said what he said that night if it hadn't been three am.

Beverly and Richie both stared at the dark ceiling, feeling the soft carpet under them. It was pitch black. They were the last Losers awake. Bev held out her own hand in front of her face and noticed that she could barely make out the shape.

"Man, it's so dark in here." she remarked.

"Mhm," Richie half replied, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"You better not fall asleep on me, Rich."

"No promises."

Bev wasn't ready to hit the hay just yet. At sleepovers, she never was.

"How's your tutoring thing going?" She asked, trying to make conversation.

"It's alright. I tutor Eddie. We were both so confused when we found out." 

"Oh. Kinda sounds like it'd be the other way around." Joked Beverly. She playfully elbowed him in the shoulder.

"Bev," he blurted out suddenly.

"Yeah?" 

His heart started to race. He knew what he was about to say, but for some reason it felt as if his mouth just couldn't form the words. After a few seconds of silence, he finally managed to find his voice. He kept his voice way down, fearing that he might wake somebody up.

"I think I like Eddie...like like him. Not just as a friend."

Bev turned to face him in the dark, resting her head on her hands. 

"You do?"

"Yeah. I think I'm probably bi. Just...don't tell anyone though. Please."

Richie started to feel a lump form in his throat. The words were out there. For a second Bev was quiet and Richie wished that he could just reach out and take them back.

Please say something.

Even though she could barely see him, Beverly could feel how nervous he was.

"Richie, that's okay. I won't tell anybody. I promise."

"Okay. Thanks." He said as he let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, "I mean, there's already some rumors. Mostly just Bowers being Bowers though."

"There are?"

"Yup. He's said some really messed up stuff to me about it."

Beverly knew how Henry was and suspected that "saying some really messed up stuff" was an understatement. If he found out, he'd give Richie even more hell.

"Y'know, just saying, if you wanna get them off your back we could like, fake date. Just to stop the rumors."

"Wait, actually?"

"Yeah. Why not?" She said with a laugh.

"Beverly Marsh, you're a genius!"  
————————————————————————  
Bright sunlight peeked through the blinds, falling over Richie's closed eyes. 

"Richie," said Bev, nudging him with her hand, her fingers coated with chipped white nail polish, "Wake up."

He yawned as his eyelids fluttered open. They were on the floor of Beverly's living room, the same place where they'd sat and played Truth or Dare hours before.

Richie sat up and stretched, looking around the room. Bill was staring at his phone, sitting on the soft white rug, leaning up against the couch. Stan laid sprawled across an armchair, also scrolling through his phone.

Eddie and Mike had already gone home. About thirty minutes earlier, Mike had headed off on his old bicycle with the rusted metal handlebars. Eddie's mom picked him up at the crack of dawn.

Finally, Ben stood by the front door, duffel bag in hand.

"Bye guys!" He said as he started to turn the doorknob.

"See you, dude." Richie said groggily.

The door's hinges squeaked as Ben opened and then closed it. Now it was just the four of them.

"Hey Bev, what time is it?" asked Richie.

She picked up her phone, which was lying facedown in the floor, and turned it on.

"Eleven thirteen." she said.

"Oh shit," Richie muttered, "I should probably get going. My parents might have a freakout."

He reached for his overnight bag, which was laying on the floor, unopened. The fabric of the black drawstring bag crinkled as he slung it over his shoulder and got to his feet.

"See ya." He said, waving an exhausted goodbye as he made his way to the front door.

The others said their farewells and Richie set out, still wearing his clothes from the previous day.

It wasn't as cold as usual. Lately, the air had been frigid enough to give a person serious goosebumps. This day felt nice though, almost like spring, which gave Richie a strange feeling since it was the middle of Autumn.

He strolled down the sidewalk, his house only a few blocks away. In the distance, he could see the Derry public library. 

I bet Ben's gonna be there later.

The library was to Ben what the arcade was to Richie. It was where you could always find him if he wasn't with The Losers. 

By this point, he'd strayed a bit from the sidewalk and was now on the grass, still following his path. He looked down at his shoes as they moved in quick strides.

What a night.


	10. Chapter Ten

"You really suck at math, Eddie Spaghetti." Richie joked. 

"Don't call me that."

"Oh, you love it."

Eddie didn't respond. The two strolled down the hallway towards the huge doors that lead outside. They'd just finished a tutoring session, one where Eddie was particularly confused about the homework.

He had eventually gotten the hang of it, but vowed that he'd never do math again after he finished college.

"I'm gonna bomb the test on Friday." said Eddie.

"No you won't. How could you when you have me as a math tutor?"

"Shut up." Eddie replied, rolling his eyes but still smiling at the same time.

They stepped into the cool air outside and made a right onto the sidewalk. Dead leaves fluttered down from the trees and landed on the pavement. Eddie looked up at the brown leaves and dreary sky.

Man, I can't wait for summer.

Suddenly, he heard something. 

Crunch...

Crunch ..

Crunch.

It was the unmistakable sound of a person stepping on those dry, Autumn leaves. Quickly, he turned around to see who it was and immediately wondered if he could run fast enough to get out of this.

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

It was Henry Bowers. Thankfully, he was alone. Without his gang, he wasn't as strong, though Henry refused to believe that.

"Hey, Wheezy. How are you and your boyfriend?"

"What do you want, Bowers?" Eddie asked, trying to hide his nervousness.

"Who said I wanted anything, queer?"

"Can you just leave us alone, fucknut?" Richie piped up, "And we're not gay. I have a girlfriend."

"Oh really," Henry laughed, "Who?"

Oh no Eddie thought Please don't say anything about banging his mom, Richie. I'm begging you.

"Beverly Marsh," Richie replied.

Eddie looked at him, wide eyed, failing to hide his shocked expression.

What?

Henry exploded into hysterical laughter.

"That slut? How much did you pay her?"

"Shut up. She is not a slut. I bet you've never been within three feet of a girl in your life."

Eddie's eyes darted back and forth as he mapped out where he'd run if Henry were to explode. He started to really wish that Richie would shut his mouth and save them both the trouble. 

Henry clenched his fists. Just then, a red-headed woman who looked to be in her 30s walked by. Having an adult around seemed to discourage him. Eddie discreetly elbowed Richie, trying to hint to him that maybe he should just drop it.

Richie picked up on the signals and started to turn around without saying anything. Eddie followed.

"You'd better watch your back." Henry sneered. He began to walk the opposite way, trying to avoid being seen by any bystanders.

Richie and Eddie walked in silence for a bit. They attempted to get out of earshot before they said anything else. After a few minutes of hearing nothing but their shoes hitting the pavement, Eddie finally said something.

"So, what was with the whole Beverly thing?"

"Oh..." Richie began, "Well, we weren't gonna tell you guys yet but she and I are...kind of a thing."

Eddie felt his heart drop.

"Really?"

"Yup."

Eddie didn't know why, but it bothered him. It just felt wrong.

"How come you didn't tell us?" Eddie said, trying to hide his disapproval. 

"We were um...we were waiting for the right moment." Richie replied awkwardly.

"Oh...okay."


	11. Part Eleven

Music blared from his computer as Eddie stared at the ceiling, tears welling up in his eyes.

Why am I so upset about this?

As soon as he'd gotten home from Beverly's house, Eddie had shut the door to his room and screamed into his pillow. Richie dating Beverly?

He couldn't understand why he hated the idea so much. 

What's so wrong with Richie dating Beverly? He wondered as salty tears fell down his face.

He rolled over onto his side. Just then, a thought popped into his mind. Maybe he was jealous. Did he like Beverly?

For a moment he thought about the possibility. He imagined being with her. Holding her hand, taking her out on dates to the ice cream shop, introducing her to people as "my girlfriend."

Nope. That would be so weird.

He continued to think about other possible explanations for his distress. Eventually, he ended up with a mental list.

1.Maybe he was dying of an incurable disease that had altered his brain.  
2.Maybe his asthma medicine had side effects.  
3.Maybe he was just emotional for no reason?  
4.Maybe he was having an allergic reaction that was making his eyes water...and also causing him to be extremely sad.  
5.Maybe he liked Richie.

For a second he thought about number five.

Yeah, Richie was annoying, and he never shut up, and sometimes he could be a real asshole without knowing it. But he was also kind of awesome. He could always make you laugh no matter how bad you felt, he was really smart but in a subtle way, and there was never a dull moment with him.

Thinking about doing all those couple-y things with Bev felt awkward. But the thought of dating Richie felt right.

Eddie thought about that night at the movie theatre, how he couldn't stop smiling while they walked down the street. That entire time he'd felt like he was flying and he just couldn't figure out why. He realized that he might know now.

Immediately, he felt a panic rise in him. Butterflies in his stomach, but definitely not butterflies. More like spiders crawling throughout his body. Eight legged arachnids infesting his veins.

His heart started to race and he took a puff of his inhaler.

He liked Richie. Richie was a guy.

Oh shit my mom's gonna kill me.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Beverly Marsh smiled as she made her way over to the lunch table that she and her friends occupied every day. Her short, red hair bounced around the nape of her neck with every step she took.

"Hey Bev." Ben said with a smile as Beverly sat in the chair across from him.

"Hey Ben."

The table was as it always was. Eddie, holding his lunchbox full of hypoallergenic food, bantered with Richie while the other Losers periodically turned to watch in amusement. Mike enthused about books. Everybody would just ramble on and on about whatever was on their mind. 

"I'll have you know that your mother and I are in a committed relationship." Richie declared.

"That's so not funny."

"Why would it be funny, Eds? What's so funny about love, pardner?" He replied, his voice slipping into an atrocious southern accent.

"You're dating Beverly anyway, numbnuts."

Hearing this, Mike looked at the two curiously.

"What?" He laughed.

Richie stared back at him blankly, unsure about what to say.

"Are you actually?"

"Is he actually what?" Asked Stan, turning to look at Richie.

"Are you for real dating Beverly?" Mike whispered.

"What?" Said Ben. Mike was a bad whisperer.

"W-What?" Bill joined in. The Losers had started to sound like a broken record.

All at once, the group shifted their attention from Richie to Beverly. Six heads turned in her direction.

"What?"

"Are you dating Richie?" Stan piped up.

Richie looked at Bev with pleading eyes. He hoped she remembered what they'd talked about at the sleepover.

"Oh. Well, we weren't gonna tell you guys yet but I guess since you're asking, yeah. We are." 

Richie breathed an internal sigh of relief. He knew he could count on Bev.

Ben, Bill, Stan, and Mike all wore shocked expressions.

"W-Wow I didn't see th-that coming." Bill laughed.

Although he hid it well, Ben felt the same hurt that Eddie had the day before. 

He'd liked Beverly for a while but had never dreamed of telling her. Everything about her was perfect to him. Her face, her smile, her freckles. Her hair, red like winter fire. Hearing that Bev was with Richie gave him a stinging feeling in his heart. 

He was disappointed, not surprised though. Yes, he was surprised that it was Richie but he wasn't surprised that Beverly liked somebody else.

Still, he smiled.  
———————————————————————  
"Thanks for saving my ass earlier." Richie said as he and Beverly sat on his bedroom floor.

Bev I'm flipped through Richie's comic books while he worked on homework from that day at school.

"Of course." Bev replied with a smile, although still looking slightly confused, "Why wouldn't I? It was my idea."

"I mean, I don't know. I thought maybe you forgot."

"I don't think I'd forget offering to be in a fake relationship with someone, Rich." Beverly laughed.

"I guess. So, what now? Do we just keep this going until whenever?"

"Yeah. Pretty much. Just until we don't want to anymore."

"Fine by me." Richie replied with a slight laugh.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Eddie felt his stomach do backflips as he walked down the hallway to his math tutoring session. Now that he knew he liked Richie, he was a bundle of nerves every time they were together.

What if I slip up and say something really stupid?

What if I'm just annoying?

Likewise, Richie also worried when Eddie was around. But since he was more accustomed to liking Eddie now, he wasn't as much of a nervous wreck.

He made a right into the last room at the end of the hallway. 

"Hey Richie."

"Hey Eds."

"Don't call me that." Eddie replied, rolling his eyes.

Richie smiled as he dramatically rolled his eyes back.

"Oh stop it, dumbass." said Eddie, trying and failing to fight returning the grin.

He stepped to his desk and sat down. Like always, Richie had pulled the desks so that they faced each other. Eddie took his supplies from his backpack and looked up at Richie.

The taller boy's glasses rested crookedly on his face. They always made his eyes look bigger. Every time Richie took off his glasses the Losers would marvel at how much smaller his eyes looked while he complained about how blind he was.

Eddie thought it was cute.

The two worked on math problems for a while until Richie, Mr.No-Attention-Span, decided he was done.

"I'm bored." He announced, dropping his pencil and looking up at Eddie.

"Well, what do you wanna do? We still have.." Eddie stopped to look at his watch, "Twenty minutes."

"What if we messed with Mr.Johnson?"

"What?" Eddie replied, surprised, "The principal? We'd get in so much trouble."

"Not if we don't get caught." Richie laughed.

"What would we even do?"

Richie thought for a moment, drumming his pencil on the desk.

"Holy shit!" He yelled, sounding like he'd just had an epiphany, "What if we got a shit-ton of crickets and let them loose in the hallways at school tomorrow?"

"Richie, that's crazy! No way!"

"Yes way! It'd be hilarious!"

"Where would we even get crickets? And what if we got caught?"

Eddie realized that for a moment he'd been considering it. 

Surprised, he shouted out, "Wait no! No way! We can't do that."

"Why not?" Richie asked with a smile, "Come on, Eds. You're no fun."

No fun.

He knew that Richie was most likely joking but suddenly, Eddie was dead-set on releasing crickets into the school.

"Fine."

"What?"

"Fine. I'll do it. Where are we gonna get the crickets?"

"The barrens." Richie said, smiling mischievously.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Red and yellow leaves floated to the ground like paper planes. The grass was no longer green, but like always, the barrens were anything but barren. In fact, it was the only place where Richie didn't despise fall, where he could see the beauty in the season.

"Found anything else?" asked Eddie, holding a green pencil box that held three chirping crickets.

"Not yet."

"Maybe we have enough." Eddie said.

"No way!" Nobody's gonna notice three crickets!" Richie argued.

So, they continued searching. The two walked through the forest with trees the same colors as the sun. It was beautiful, really. Richie looked around, admiring all the different hues. For a second, he faintly realized that he'd never really looked at the barrens.

He'd never taken time to take in the beauty of the place, but Richie just wasn't that kind of person. It felt peaceful though, looking up at the trees. Only a few golden rays of sunlight peeked through the leaves. It was like having a blanket above you. Richie took a deep breath.

Suddenly, he heard a high-pitched scream. Richie whipped his head around quickly to see Eddie screaming and covered in crickets. A log behind him had been rolled over. That was where the crickets were coming from. Immediately, Richie started to crack up.

Eddie seemed to be frozen in fear.

"What happened?" Richie yelled to Eddie.

"I tried to look under this fucking log! And the crickets-" he began before continuing to screech.

Richie ran over to Eddie and stole the pencil box from his hands. He then put ten crickets in the box, grabbed Eddie's arm, and started to run.

After some running, the two found a resting spot. Eddie took 3 big puffs of his inhaler as Richie sat down on the grass.

"Holy shit." He wheezed.

Eddie's voice shook as if it were going to break.

"Hey," said Richie, holding up the box, "We got the crickets."

———————————————————————-

Richie walked into his room, and sat the pencil box on his dresser. For a second he looked at it, unsure of where to keep them. They were basically stacked on top of one another and wouldn't survive until the morning in that box.

So, Richie decided he was going to make them a habitat. He gathered sticks and leaves and put them in a Tupperware container with breathing holes cut into the lid. 

"Great," he thought "Now I have crickets in my room." 

Needless to say, he didn't get much sleep that night.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

"Today's the day." Richie thought as he stood in front of the school.

The crickets had kept him up all night, giving him lots of time to think. After lots and lots of thinking, he came to the conclusion that this was a dumb idea but it was too late to back out and Richie Tozier was not a coward.

So, he walked into the front hallway, cringing every time the crickets made a noise. Richie took a right into the library and made his way towards the back. There Eddie stood, leaning up against the books. He looked nervous, and he was. Eddie felt like he might throw up.

"Do you have them?" He asked, trying to hide his fear.

"Hell yeah, Edward Spaghedward."

Richie unzipped his backpack and pulled out the Tupperware container he'd been keeping the insects in.

"You decorated their home?" Eddie asked with a small, amused laugh. He'd noticed the grass, leaves, and carefully placed rocks in the container.

"Of course! It's the least I can do before I release them into this hellhole. So what we're gonna do is release these motherfuckers and then then walk out. But act natural."

"Really? That's it?"

"Yup."

Before Eddie could say anything else, Richie opened up the container, sending about a dozen crickets hopping throughout the library. Quickly, he stood up and started to walk out of the room with Eddie trailing close behind him.

The two stood by the library doors, waiting for a reaction and trying to look as nonchalant as possible. Sure enough, after about thirty seconds, people started to notice.

"Woah!"   
"What the hell?"  
"Oh my gosh!"  
"A cricket!"  
"Ewww!"

Richie was trying and failing miserably to stifle his laughter while Eddie just grinned, amused but still anxious.

They heard the noise start to escalate as more people noticed. They even heard one blood-curdling scream from a blonde girl who was known to be over dramatic. This sent Richie into hysterics.

He doubled over laughing. Eddie's eyes widened as he put a finger to his lips, trying to get Richie to shut up.

Richie ended up pulling himself together and the two both made their ways to their first period classes, trying to draw as little attention to themselves as possible.  
————————————————————————  
In the middle of third period, an announcement came over the loudspeaker.

"Eddie Kaspbrak to the principal's office please."

His heart dropped.

Oh shit.

Eddie stood up and walked out of the class. His shaky hands fumbled for the zipper of his fanny pack and pulled out his inhaler. He quickly held the aspirator to his lips and pulled the trigger.

When he finally reached the office, Richie was also there as he had expected.

The principal sat on the other side of the desk, staring at them with disappointment.

"So, what happened this morning?" He asked in an angry tone.

Eddie flinched at the principal raising his voice.

"I'm telling you, it wasn't us!" Richie declared.

"The security camera footage begs to differ."

Immediately, Richie's face turned as red as a tomato. He knew he'd been caught.

"Detention for both of you. This weekend all day."

He scribbled some words on two detention slips, handed them to Richie and Eddie, and sent them back to class.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

"Eddie I'm sorry. Please say something."

Eddie reached into his fanny pack and took out a pair of white earbuds with wires that were only hanging on by a thread. He put them in his ears to drown Richie out.

"Fine then!" said Richie, "Be like that. You're the one who agreed to the stupid cricket plan anyway."

Richie hoisted his backpack onto his lap and reached into the pocket. He pulled out a piece of gum, which he then started to chew obnoxiously.

Eddie tried not to react but after a while he just couldn't take it. He whipped his head around to face Richie who was sitting in the seat behind him.

"Can you just stop? Please." He snapped.

"Only if you accept my apology." Richie replied, popping his gum.

"No."

"Oh come on, Eds. I'm so bored"

"Why don't you just text Beverly then?" Eddie suggested, sounding more irritated than he meant to.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. It's just, she's your girlfriend. Why don't you just text her instead of bothering me?"

"Shit, Eddie. What's your problem with Bev? You've been acting all weird ever since we started dating." Richie replied with anger rising in his voice.

"I don't have a problem with Bev. And I have not been acting weird."

"How come you're getting all defensive then?"

"I'm not being defensive!"

"Whatever Eddie. You've been acting so different ever since me and Bev got together. Do you not like her or something?"

"No, I like Bev. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then what's your problem?"

Eddie started to feel cornered. What was he going to say? He knew he had been acting weird, but he could never tell Richie why.

"Nothing. There's no problem. Can we please just stop talking about this?"

"No, I wanna know what your issue is!"

"Richie stop."

"No, tell me."

"Richie, quit it!" He yelled louder than he meant to. Richie went silent. 

Eddie felt tears start to well up in his eyes. He rose his sleeve up to his face as his vision started to blur.

Shit.

"Eds? Are you okay?" Richie asked in a softer tone, "I didn't mean to-"

"I've been acting weird cause I like you, Richie." 

"What?"

"I'm sorry. You're probably freaked out now." Eddie quickly started to pick up his things and go.

"Eddie, wait." Said Richie, "I like you too. I really like you. This whole thing with Bev, it was fake. We were just trying to stop any rumors about me."

Eddie started to sit back in his seat.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

They sat there in silence for a moment. Then, Richie reached out and took Eddie's hand.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

The lights from the Ferris Wheel flickered, sending intermittent bursts of light all throughout the carnival. Stan watched as other people got off and on the ride

"We should go on the Ferris Wheel, guys." He suggested.

The Losers Club had tried nearly every ride at the carnival. It was nighttime by then. You could clearly see the stars twinkling against the black sky.

"Yeah, we should." Beverly agreed.

She had powdered sugar all over her face from a funnel cake and her short hair was a mess from going on various rides. 

"Let's go, Losers! Tally ho!" Said Richie in an awful British accent.

"I'm gonna stay back, guys." Eddie said. Unlike the other losers, he hadn't gone on a single ride that night. He'd deemed every one at the fair too unsafe.

"I'll stay back with you, Eddie." Ben replied. He sort of felt sorry for Eddie. The boy couldn't even enjoy a carnival without his fear getting the best of him.

So, The Losers Club, minus Eddie and Ben, made their way towards the Ferris Wheel. The line seemed to stretch throughout the entire fair.

"Damn, guys." Richie began "This line's longer than my-"

"D-Don't even say it."

The Ferris Wheel was actually quite small. It wasn't a kiddy ride, but with the flashing lights, you could sort of see the faces of the people on the ride. But it was Derry, how remarkable could a carnival really be?

After what felt like an eternity of waiting in line, it was finally their turn. 

They boarded the ride in pairs. Stan with Bill, Beverly with Richie, and Mike with a random girl who had curly hair and deep brown eyes.

After everyone was secured onto the ride, they started to move up. Richie loved the Ferris Wheel most out of all carnival rides. He liked how slow and peaceful it was and the feeling of being up in the air. He liked the cool nighttime breeze on his face and the way the lights flickered.

Richie felt serene as they started to approach the top of the Wheel. He looked across the carnival. It was pretty beautiful, all of the lights and all of the people. 

But then he saw Henry Bowers. He stood at the front of the line, staring daggers at Richie. For a second Richie was frozen, then he had a terrifying thought.

He's gonna beat my ass after I get off of this ride. He's gonna beat me up because I like Eddie and he knows it.

So, he did the first thing he thought to do. Just as they reached the top of the Ferris Wheel, he turned to Beverly and kissed her.

Back on the ground, you could almost hear Eddie and Ben's hearts shatter in unison. They both stood there, matching expressions of disappointment on their faces, looking up as the ones they loved sat together up in the air.

Eddie started to walk away, tears forming in his eyes. He couldn't bear to look. He knew Richie and Bev were fake dating, but really?

"Wait, Eddie. Where are you going?" Said Ben, following behind him.

"Nowhere. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Ben continued to trail behind Eddie, shuffling through crowds of people. He struggled to keep up with him in the dark, even with the various lights at the carnival.

Eventually, they stopped at a park bench and Eddie sat down.

"What happened, dude? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, Eddie. You can tell me. For real." Said Ben, joining Eddie on the old, wooden bench.

"Okay. Please don't tell anyone, though."

"I won't. Promise."

"I like Richie. Like like him. And he kissed Bev and—I don't know. I don't know."

"I get that. I really like Bev. I was really upset when I found out Richie and Bev were together. I mean, it sounds stupid now that I say it out loud. There was no way we were gonna work anyway."

Eddie considered telling Ben that the relationship between Richie and Bev was fake. He knew Ben wouldn't tell anyone, but he decided against it.

"Why not?" Said Eddie, looking at Ben inquisitively.

"Y'know...she's Bev. She's beautiful and smart and funny and I'm just..."

"You're just what?"

"I'm just me." Ben said with a weak laugh.

"What do you mean you're 'just you'? Ben, you're one of the smartest, nicest people I know!"

"Thanks, Eddie. That means a lot. For real. You're an awesome friend and I'm sure Richie's gonna come around at some point."

"Thank you, Ben. I'm glad I told you."

"Hey," Ben began with a smile, "Losers stick together."


	18. Chapter Eighteen

"Eddie," Richie began, twirling his pencil in his fingers, "You can't just ignore me forever."

"You said you liked me, Richie."

"I do!" He replied, "I really do. I just..."

For what might've been the first time in his life, loudmouth Richie Tozier was lost for words. The two sat in the empty classroom, silence looming over them like a dark cloud.

"It's just...I saw Henry and-"

Eddie suddenly rose from his seat, backpack in hand.

"I think I'm gonna go." He said, looking down at the ground.

"Wait, Eds."

"Don't call me Eds."  
————————————————————————

Tense. That's how life had been for The Losers Club the past three weeks following Richie and Eddie's falling out.

With the two not on speaking terms, the group basically fell apart at the seams. If one was there, the other wasn't. This didn't work because The Losers Club was like a puzzle. You needed all seven pieces or else there'd just be a silence that nothing could fill.

Because of this silence, when the Losers tried to hang out, things just weren't the same. Richie and Eddie's fight caused a chain reaction. 

Without every piece of the puzzle, things were awkward, so the Losers started to hang out less. Mike started to sit with other people at lunch, then Bill, then Stan.

"I can't wait for this whole thing to be over." Said Bev one day as she stabbed a piece of broccoli with her fork.

"Me too." Said Ben. 

They were the last two people sitting at the table. It looked deserted compared to how it usually was.

"I really hate how different everything is now. All because of a stupid fight."

They were the only other Losers, besides Richie and Eddie, who knew what the fight was about in the first place.

"Yeah. It really sucks."

For a moment, they sat there in silence, unsure of what else to say. The cacophony of sounds in the cafeteria filled their ears, but they didn't contribute to it.

"So..." Ben began, trying to fill the silence, "Are you going to the dance on Friday?"

"No. Dances are stupid." She said with a laugh.

"I mean, yeah, but they're fun. You should go. I don't wanna be the only one there." He said.

"You won't be the only one there. Like, everyone else is going."

"Let me rephrase that. I don't want to be stuck at a dance with nobody who I can talk to."

"Fine," Bev said, smiling "But only because you're gonna be there."

Ben's face turned as red as a fire truck at that remark.

"Okay. See you there Bev." He said as the bell rang for them to go to class.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Strobe lights danced across the floor as nearly every student at Derry High made their way into the school building.

Tonight the room, which was formerly the gym, was decorated like an underwater wonderland. Balloons tied to table legs floated in the air. Blue fruit punch sloshed around in a crystal clear bowl. It always seemed to be dangerously close to spilling with all the clumsy kids falling around the room.

It was truly the perfect high school dance. Even Richie, who always made fun of events like this, had to admit that the school board had outdone themselves.

This year was still different, though. The Losers Club didn't immediately group up like they usually did. 

Ben and Bev sat together at one of the octagonal tables the school had placed around the room. Mike stood in a circle of people which included the girl who he'd sat with on the Ferris Wheel a few weeks prior. Bill and Stan had both joined in on a growing conga line. Eddie sat at a table by himself and Richie had already camped out by the food.

The brown haired boy pushed his glasses up on his nose as he observed the dance awkwardly. Richie felt out of place already. At least before this he had The Losers. Now, he just felt like a spectator watching the dance but not really being a part of it. He started to regret even coming, but his ride wouldn't be there until nine.

About an hour passed and as the night grew older, Ben started to wish he could ask Beverly to dance. He knew she was with Richie though, and he wasn't going to do that to a friend. 

She looked like a ghost under the lights, her pale skin illuminated with reds and greens and blues. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds and her hair was messy from dancing. Ben loved the way she'd been smiling all night.

As for Richie, after about another hour he decided to ditch the dance and go wait for his ride. It was only an hour wait until the dance was over and he could finally go home.

He stood out in the cold night air, looking out at the vacant school parking lot.

Just one more hour.

Richie had barely talked to anyone all night. He felt kind of disappointed, although he didn't know what he had been expecting. It was a stupid high school dance during a time when everything was just wrong. His friend group wasn't even together. Until then, they'd been the only constant he could count on. Whenever everything was going downhill, he knew he at least had them. Now, things were different, strange.

Suddenly, he heard the school door behind him swing open. He turned his head quickly to see Eddie standing in the doorway.

"Oh hey Eds-"

"Save it. I'm just waiting for my ride."

Richie winced at the rude remark. Outside the school, there were a few blue tables that kids would sit at during break. He watched as Eddie went and sat at an empty one a few feet away from him. 

For a while, they sat in silence, the only sounds being the faint music from inside the school. Richie tapped his foot, trying his best not to look in Eddie's direction. After a few minutes of this, though, he just couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm really sorry, you know?" Said Richie, glancing in the other boy's direction.

Eddie didn't respond.

"It's just" He continued, "when I was on the Ferris Wheel I saw Bowers looking straight at me and I thought that if I kissed Beverly maybe he'd stop...suspecting things and leave me alone. It was stupid, I know."

"I really like you, Richie."

"I really like you too-"

"And when I saw you and Bev my heart just...broke. It sounds dumb but the reason I've been avoiding you is because I felt like I was kidding myself. Like there was no way you could like me." Said Eddie.

"You weren't kidding yourself, though. I really like you. I've liked you forever. I just did something dumb. I know I messed up and I'm sorry."

"I guess it's just hard for me to believe you would like me."

"Why?" Was all Richie could manage to say.

"Yknow," Eddie began with a weak laugh, "I'm just a weird kid who carries a first aid kit around with him everywhere and might die if he eats a PBJ."

"Really? That's how you see yourself? You're so much more than that. At first I really didn't think you'd like me. You're so smart and funny and I just thought you were way out of my league."

"That's...really sweet, Rich."

The two looked at each other, noticing how their eyes looked under the dark night sky. Then, before they both knew it, their lips met.

For a moment, the rest of the world melted away for both of them. It was like nothing could harm them. They were just floating without a care in the world.

"Oh wow okay."

Richie and Eddie quickly whipped their heads around and were greeted by Mike standing in the doorway.

"Sorry," Mike said awkwardly, "I didn't mean to um..interrupt."

"Tell anyone and you're dead, Micycle." Richie warned.

"I'm h-here too." a stuttering voice called. Bill walked through the door.

"Oh no." Said Eddie as he fumbled through his fanny pack for his inhaler. He eventually found it, pressed it to his lips, and took a puff.

"I'm not gonna tell anyone."

"Yeah me n-neither."

Then, Ben and Beverly walked through the door.

"Not gonna tell anyone what?" Ben asked cluelessly.

"Nothing" They all said in unison.

"Well, we're just out here waiting for our rides. How about you guys?" 

"Me too." Said Eddie.

"Yeah, same." Said Richie

"I am t-too."

"Me too." Said Mike.

"Damn. This dance was a failure for all of us I guess." Bev remarked.

Just then, Stanley Uris walked through the door.

"This meeting of The Losers Club is officially in session!" Richie piped up.

"Waiting for your ride?" Mike asked.

"Yup."

Richie looked around and realized that this had been the first time they'd all been together since the fight.

"Man, it feels like we haven't hung out in forever!" He said, "What have you guys been up to?"

"Well," Mike piped up, "I might have a girlfriend."

There soon came a cacophony of yelling from The Losers Club.

"What? Who?" Said Bill.

"Her name's Alyssa. I sat with her on the Ferris Wheel that one night."

"Oooo Mikey's got a girlfriend!" Richie teased.

"So do you, Rich." Mike laughed.

"Well..." Richie began, trailing off. He and Eddie exchanged a knowing look. In that moment they both decided it was the right time.

"About that," he continued, "Bev and I were kind of...never dating. We were faking it to protect me from any rumors because I...I like Eddie."

"Bill, you owe me five bucks." Stan whispered to the other boy.

"Richie, finally!" Bev yelled happily, "I'm so proud of you, for real!"

"Are you guys like, together or is Eddie just now finding out about this?" Asked Ben.

"We're..." Eddie began, searching Richie's face for an answer.

"We could be...if you want to." Said Richie.

Eddie's face went red as a tomato.

"I do want to." He said.

"Then it's official! Bitchie is dead! Reddie is alive and well!"

"Well since we're being honest," Ben started after a wave of bravery rushed over him, "I kinda...like Bev."

"Wait really?" Bev said, smiling.

"Yeah. I have for a while now and-"

"I like you too! Man, I guess this dance isn't completely terrible."

"I missed this." Said Mike, "We really need to start hanging out again. Everything's just been weird since we stopped talking."

The Losers all nodded their heads in agreement.

"It's weird that we all ended up out here tonight. It's like...fate." Bev said with a laugh.

"Well, once a Loser always a Loser." Said Richie.

Just then, people started to come out of the doors one by one. The dance was over.

"Well, I should probably get going." Said Stan as he started to gather up his things.

One by one, the Losers all left to go home. After a while, Richie and Eddie were the only ones left.

"I gotta go." Said Eddie, "I'll see you at school."

"Yeah," Richie replied with a smile, "See you at school."


	20. Epilogue

"Tonight's the night." Richie thought nervously as he and Eddie walked into the restaurant which was far too fancy for Richie's taste.

Chatter from all the nicely dressed people around the room filled his ears. He heard glasses clinking and people laughing.

An blonde waitress wearing a black button down top and a red skirt approached them.

"Here," she said motioning up the stairs, "I'll bring you to your seats."

She ushered the two up the stairs and over to a table at the corner of the room. Richie and Eddie sat down as she placed down two menus.

"Alright, I'll be back in a minute to take your order."

The girl walked away, leaving Richie and Eddie sitting at the table.

"This place is...really nice." A nervous Richie said, trying to make conversation. He could feel heart about to pound out of his chest.

"Yeah, it is." Eddie replied with a smile, "What are you gonna get?"

Richie hadn't thought about this at all. His mind was too occupied with one question that he'd been wanting to ask Eddie for months.

"Oh, uh I don't know."

He began to skim through the menu, barely able to focus on any of the words. Eventually, he decided on pasta.

Richie reached into his pocket and grabbed the tiny box he was keeping there, checking for the thousandth time that he had it. That box held the whole reason they were at the restaurant, although Eddie didn't know it yet. The ring. Tonight was the night that Richie was going to ask the big question. Tonight was the night that Richie would remember for the rest of his life, and he hoped he could remember it fondly.

After a few minutes the waitress arrived back at their table.

"Have you decided yet? Need a few more minutes?"

"I think we have it." Said Richie, glancing at Eddie.

The two ordered their food and after a while, it was delivered to their table.

"So, Eds." Richie began, poking at the food with his fork. He didn't have much of an appetite that night. "We've been together for a while now and...I love you. Like, I really love you. I have since we were thirteen, you know that. I've never met anyone quite like you before and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." 

He pulled the box out of his pocket and held the rind out to Eddie.

"Will you marry me?"

"Richie! Of course!" Eddie said, smiling ear to ear.  
————————————————————————

The next three months seemed to go by in a flash. Before they knew it, the two were standing at the altar. 

Ben, Beverly, Stan, Mike, and Bill all sat in the crowd, most of them holding back tears.

Beverly and Ben, who were married about a year before Richie and Eddie, sat together.

The ceremony was beautiful. Everyone was dressed nicely, especially the grooms. 

Eddie and Richie looked out at the crowd. They were finally here, in a place they never thought was possible, marrying the ones they loved with their best friends alongside them. It was then that they both realized something. They'd made it.


End file.
